Words have power. Words are power. . . .
Your words can spit venom or they can mend a broken soul.
—Mohammed Qahtani
In a recent newsletter on the power of language in the CEO role, I argued that CEOs should limit the phrase “I have to” in their leadership vocabulary.
Today I’d like to champion a phrase we should be using more: “I don’t know,” and its close cousin “I was wrong.”
These two expressions are not admissions of defeat. Rather, they signal that you put growth and transparency over the preservation of your ego.
Once we become CEOs, the world tends to treat us as all-knowing. We may begin to buy into this narrative ourselves. Our innate inclination to shield our egos kicks in, and we worry that saying things like “I don’t know” and “I was wrong” will make us look ignorant or weak.
But this is a trap to avoid for two main reasons:
Acknowledging your limits builds credibility. Every time an employee sees you bluster through a blind spot or ignore a mistake you made, they lose more faith in you as a leader. Conversely, when they see you own up to not being sure about something or acknowledge a misstep, their faith in your honesty and authenticity grows.
It's a bit of a paradox. We certainly don’t want to run around emphasizing our lack of knowledge or past mistakes. But stepping up and taking ownership in key moments is one of the most potent credibility-builders I know for CEOs.Being wrong is great training. When we lose or get something wrong—in leadership or life—it’s not something to ignore but to learn from. As a long-time tennis player, I had to learn how to lose well to continue to improve. This acceptance of defeat transcends mere sportsmanship; it reflects a deeper comprehension that your value is not exclusively tethered to triumphs. You learn that each setback is a chance for introspection, knowledge, and strengthening for future challenges.
Good CEOs learn that market forces are impervious to personal egos; they call for adaptability, innovation, and occasionally a comprehensive shift in strategy. This unyielding pursuit of value creation leaves no space for pretending to be omniscient or always right.
At the end of the day, the key phrases “I don’t know” and “I was wrong” are powerful signals that you put transparency, growth, and results over your ego. (In hiring executives, I listen for these phrases too, like my own BS detector.) Deploying them wisely—finding equilibrium between modesty and confidence—is an under-appreciated way any CEO can build their skills and their influence within the organization.